The Sterling College Business Department will open a Quiznos restaurant on Monday, March 30. However, this isn't your regular franchise opening. It is a unique partnership between the Sterling College Business Department and Quiznos as a hands-on teaching experience for business majors.

This grand opening will be the culmination of several semesters of hard work put in by Sterling College business students as well as potentially provide a "new model of franchising that may be usable in other colleges and universities across the country," says Sterling College Business Professor Tim Thorpe.
The new Quiznos will open for business at 10 a.m. with a special grand opening ceremony at 12:15 p.m. The ceremony will include remarks by Quiznos Executive Vice President of Operations, Bob Schmied, Kansas State Representative Bob Bethel, Sterling College President Dr. Paul Maurer, Sterling Mayor Kim Witt, Chamber of Commerce member Ben Marshall, and Sterling College Business Chair Dr. Kevin Hill.
Sterling College's Business Department strives to make real-life application a core of its curriculum, and the opening of Quiznos has been a long-term project with the goal of allowing business students to put theory into practice. Two teams of business students researched potential franchise opportunities and presented their recommendations to an investor. After Quiznos was selected and the DeBoer Family Foundation provided the funding for the project, business students entered the process of building and opening the franchise in Sterling.
Though the grand opening will be a milestone of the students' work, it will not be the end of their labor. Business students will also manage and operate the restaurant under the corporate guidelines set by Quiznos. Sterling College President Dr. Paul Maurer comments, "This is a tremendous combination, one that is offered by few colleges and universities, and particularly few liberal arts colleges. This gives our students experience that will prepare them especially well for their professional life after college."